Game Time: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 

Venue:  Crypto.com arena, Los Angeles, California

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Clippers -2; O/U 223.5

Fanduel:  Spread:  Clippers -1.5; O/U 223.5

BetMGM:  Spread: Clippers -1.5; O/U 223.5

Pelicans: 34-43, 9th place Western Conference

Clippers: 38-40, 8th place Western Conference

A Western Conference matchup between two middle of the road teams that hold the potential for so much more.  The New Orleans Pelicans bungled the Anthony Davis Trade and drafting Zion Williamson.  Neither were bad deals… but the pelicans squandered the players they received from the Lakers… Letting Lonzo Ball walk for little to nothing… and though they did not get Julius Randle directly from the Lakers, they did have him for a season and let him walk for nothing.  The remaining piece that is SF Brandon Ingram is a good player… but the resulting draft picks have not measured up yet.  Then when drafting Zion… maybe they should have listened to his family who kept saying New orleans was too small a market and maybe they should have moved Zion and gotten another windfall of assets?... The Pelicans finally pulled off a decent basketball trade when they picked up SG CJ McCollum form Portland for roster debris… CJ is now the Pelicans leading scorer… and it may not be too late to trade Zion this offseason if he looks healthy in scrimmages and can pass a physical.  The Los Angeles Clippers built a super team that centered around SF Paul George and SG Kahwi Leonard… then Kahwi got hurt… then Paul George got hurt.  What that left was a decimated team… what it exposed is that PG Reggie Jackson is one of the toughest competitors in all of the NBA!  Reggie brings fire and back-up guard Luke Kennard brings ice from deep.  The Center tandem of Zubac and Hartenstein is actually turning into something great… they combine for the results of having an all-star at that spot full time.  The collection of misfit toys off the bench are led by Terrence Mann… a G/F tweener that plays solidly… They just had Paul George return from injury for a big 38 points game… the rumor mill says Kahwi could potentially try a playoff run… The Clippers are a tough matchup for anybody right at this moment… if they get Kawhi back?.. They could be an instant contender.

The New Orleans Pelicans have won 7 of their last ten games.  They went 7-3 ATS.  They have been playing great and are currently on a 3-game winning streak.  It could be a delusional result as the last 3 games were against the Los Angeles Lakers twice and the Portland Trail Blazers… still a win is a win.  In their last game against the Lakers CJ McCollum had 32 points while Brandon Ingram had 29 points… It was a Thunder and lightning attack that beat the Lakers that had both LeBron and Anthony Davis in the game.  The Pelicans got an extra jolt of pride to practically end AD’s season.

The Los Angeles Clippers have only won 3 of their last ten games.  It has been a rough patch.  They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel though as they have gone 2-1 over the last 3.  The last game was a dominant performance where the Clippers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 153-119!  Before you get too excited Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play for the Bucks… neither did Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Grayson Allen, or Wesley Matthews.  It was a sacrifice for the sake of health and rest on the Bucks part.  The Clippers were led by PF Robert Covington’s 43 points!  What?!... Amir Coffey added 32, Luke Kennard 23, Terrance Mann 18… it went on and on.  Before you think it was a true sacrifice by the Bucks… Paul George, Reggis Jackson, took the night off too.

Nelly’s was 2-0 in the NBA last night and while all the attention is rightfully on the Final Four Saturday, there is an NBA opportunity we don’t want to miss. Nelly’s is 4-1 in our last five in the NBA to add to our huge 24-6 NCAA Basketball run, sitting on the BigAl.com leaderboard overall for the past 7, 30, and 60 days! Add in an NBA winner to your Final Four card tonight with Nelly’s. Go get it! Get Nelly’s Sports picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

New Orleans is 34-43 on the season, but 39-37-1 ATS.  They have logged 29 Overs, 46 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 16-22 in road games.

The Clippers are 38-40 on the season, AND 38-40 ATS.  They have notched 37 Overs, 38 Unders, and 3 Push. They are 21-16 in home games.

The Pelicans are 20th in scoring with 109.0 ppg, 10th in rebounds with 45.3 per game, and 15th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they are 13th while holding opponents to 109.8 ppg

The Clippers are  23rd in scoring with 107.7 ppg,. 22nd in rebounds with 43.7 per game, and 20th in AST/To ratio with 1.7.  On defense they rank 11th while holding opponents to 108.9 ppg.  

Our prediction for Sunday, April 3rd is….  Clippers 118 - Pelicans 113

The Clippers will be ready to go and at relatively full health for whoever has been available this season. The key to a game like this is to let Robert Covington go after Jaxson Hayes on the block.  Jackson is a super athletic big man… who can block shots and stay in front of his man.  Jaxson however is also super inexperienced and prone to picking up quick fouls as he has never been able to ignore a pump fake.  The Pelicans would not have Jaxson as the starting power forward if they weren't thin at the position.

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New Orleans:  14-1 Under as a road underdog of +6 or less points
Los Angeles:  9-18 ATS off an upset win
Los Angeles:  14-22 ATS when playing with revenge
Los Angeles:  35-26 ATS in games with point spreads between +3 and -3

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson (foot) Out ** PG Kira Lewis Jr (knee) Out

Clippers:  SF Norman Powell (foot) Out ** SF Kawhi Leonard (knee) Out ** PG Brandon Boston Jr (ill) Questionable

Pelicans: PF Jaxson Hayes, SF Brandon Ingram, C Jonas Valanciunas, SG CJ McCollum, PG Herbert Jones

Clippers:  PF Robert Covington, SF Amir Coffey, C Ivica Zubac, SG Luke Kennard, PG Terrence Mann

Pelicans: Willie Green

Clippers: Tyronn Lue